The star-studded World Cup punditry lineup putting BBC to shame with Henry and Ibrahimovic

It isn’t just on the pitch where star-studded squads are being built, with broadcasters also vying for the best lineups ahead of this summer’s World Cup. With more matches than ever before, those providing the coverage for the tournament are under increasing pressure to deliver an entertaining package along with attention-grabbing pundits.

And one broadcaster in the States appears to have nailed their selections, with some of football’s biggest names committing themselves to the channel. The network in question is FOX Sports, who boast the full rights to show the World Cup in the United States.

The headline picks include Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will both be on hand to provide coverage for the tournament. The pair, both formerly for Barcelona, have been regulars on football broadcasts since retiring, with Henry having made a name for himself in the US for CBS’ Champions League coverage.

They’ll be joined by another ex-Barca ace, Thiago Alcantara, while Manchester United’s Treble-winning goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, is also involved. Elsewhere, Javier Hernandez will provide insight into co-host Mexico, with Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Carli Lloyd and Alexi Lalas giving viewers the lowdown on the US.

Anchoring the shows will be Rob Stone and Rebecca Lowe, as well as two faces familiar to UK fans, Jules Breach and Pien Meulensteen. The stellar lineup will take some beating, with fans suggesting it dwarves the offerings served up by the BBC and ITV.

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The former will have usual suspects Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart involved, while newbies Olivier Giroud and Cesar Azpilicueta will join the team. The Beeb have been able to convince recently-sacked Tottenham boss Thomas Frank to provide punditry, with Mark Chapman, Alex Scott, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan expected to lead the coverage.

Whereas on ITV, the Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Gary Neville triple act will continue Stateside, with their big coups including the likes of Patrick Vieira, Ange Postecoglou, Juan Mata, Emma Hayes and Duncan Ferguson. Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods and Semra Hunter will present the shows, with Sam Matterface remaining as the lead commentator.

The World Cup officially gets underway on Thursday, June 11, with Mexico taking on South Africa in the opening match. England will have to wait almost a week to kick their campaign off, with Croatia the Three Lions’ first opponents in Group L.

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